


Frisson

by Linae_Liminae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:18:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linae_Liminae/pseuds/Linae_Liminae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>an almost pleasurable sensation of fright or other stimuli, usually by an unexpected musical experience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frisson

**Author's Note:**

> Eric Whitaker: Sleep My Child

It was so soft he almost didn’t hear it.

Shiro’s footsteps slowed down the hall, bare feet sticking to the cold metal beneath. A frown marred his features as he glanced about in confusion. It was faint. A strange sound and he couldn’t seem to pin point it’s source.

It was dark, the glowing blue lights of the castle faded to allow a time of rest for the inhabitants within. He glanced back in the direction he had come.

The others would be asleep by now. The drills he had pushed them through in their training had assured them a swift collapse into sleeps and dreams. Shiro’s body strained, spent and eager to ignore the sound and to take him to his bed.

Instinct, however, was a fierce master and months of fighting and seeing firsthand the treachery of Zarkon’s forces steeled the resolve in Shiro’s being. He needed to investigate.

Fists clenching, Shiro closed his eyes and focused, listening as intently as possible.  
The sound gave a strange wobble, rising and falling just enough for Shiro to hone in on its direction.

He opened his eyes. It was coming from Allura’s side of the ship.

He burst into a silent run, hugging the walls in his swift strides and pausing only to glance around the corners. The sound was growing louder, yet it was still faint. It made no sense to him…what was that?

Abruptly, the sound stopped just as his eyes fell over a door and a panel. He bit his lip, eyes narrowing as he took in as much as possible.

This was not Allura’s room. So where…?

The sound came again and this time it was emanating from behind that door. Shiro wasted no time. A few quick steps and a press of his hand on the panel allowed the door to give with a hiss and muted sigh. It slid open, revealing the room within to be dark. Shiro slunk into the shadows and waited for his eyes to adjust. The sound stopped before Shiro could identify it.

There was a faint blue light and after a moment, he realized this room had some kind of lobby where he was currently inside. There was no additional door but a vestibule of sorts where a blue crystal hung from its peak. It was glowing a gentle blue light. The sound began again and within this place, Shiro finally recognized it.

It was…music? A voice? No… There were two voices…female?

Shiro approached closer, silent as the grave, until he passed the vestibule and found himself surrounded in a galaxy. This system was not one he recognized… It thrummed and rose and swirled like matter inside a current. It was entrancing.

The music suddenly rose, just singing, and the notes were so rich and unexpected, Shiro felt a shiver take hold of his body and overtake every inch of his skin.

He sucked in a breath, eyes wide when he lifted his gaze to find the source. Her hair was flowing around her, silver and brilliant, back facing him. Allura…?

Her arms were outstretched behind her, wrists twisting in gentle angles as the stars and galaxies twisted and hummed around her. He realized then it was her voice he was hearing. Soprano and alto all at once.

Harmonies and melodies melding together as her body swayed and moved, her clothes hovering around her as though she was floating in water.

Another shiver coursed through Shiro’s body as the notes rose and rose in a sweet cadence of notes. He couldn’t do anything save stare. She turned around and his body flinched in surprise, alarm spiking a panic in his blood as he worried what would happen if she saw him here. It didn’t occur to him until now that he had intruded into something that must have been very private.

To his surprise, Allura’s eyes were closed. The marks beneath her eyes were glowing a bright white and pink color and she tilted her chin to let out another series of notes from her throat and it was there he saw how there was light within her neck originating from her throat. It was so alien, but it was also unbelievably beautiful.

The music sank into his ears and his mind, filling him with a warmth as he witnessed the lights and glowing surround and brush against him, teasing him with a flare that enchanted him.

I should go… He thought but the thought escaped him as soon as something in his mind clicked and the notes abruptly changed to translate into words inside his mind…

_…I can see in your eyes that the day is long,_  
And the pain and the rain and the wind make you feel that you’re wrong,  
Out of sorrow tomorrow will bring you a brighter song…

Her lips parted in a smile as her voice escaped in rising notes and singing that were so sweet, Shiro felt something in him move. The stars and galaxies rose and rose and rose in the air, following the calls of her throat intimately. He released a breath just as her voice paused and the words poured into his mind just as she began singing again.

_In your dreams you’re not alone,_  
Though mother’s child has flown,  
And if the night that follows should be dark  
Just listen for the lark, and sleep my child.  
Sleep my child.  
Sleep my child  
And dream

Shiro fell to his knees, overcome by emotions so powerful he couldn’t take it. Grief of years of loneliness, the sight of a beautiful home taken by flames, the embrace of a loving mother and the cold of her hand as she faded, the cries of a people that were as hauntingly beautiful as they were heartbreaking. The touch and comfort of a father, wise, strong and true…

It was so much and too much at once and Shiro’s chest tightened as his eyes burned with tears.

“Shiro…?” He heard and the barrage of emotions swept away from him like a fierce wave or a powerful wind. It left him shaking and gasping. “Shiro!”

Soft hands pressed against his back and shoulder and through the blur of hot tears, Shiro saw the fabric of a flowing dress and the indentation of her lap.

“I’m sorry…” He began, voice soft and trembling, trying to make light of what just occurred to him. He looked up and saw Allura gazing down at him, brows pinched with concern and her eyes gazing down at him with sympathy. “I shouldn’t have…”

“Breathe, Shiro,” Allura said soothingly, stroking his back in gentle motions. “Just breathe slow. You just experienced the full weight of my emotions through song and you weren’t prepared for it. I’m sorry, it must have completely weakened you.”

“Please, princess,” Shiro said, closing his eyes as he tried to regain control. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have interrupted you…you…” His voice hitched and hiccuped through the airy sobs. It was easier now, but his heart felt ravaged, as though he himself has just experienced such terrible loss. Though his mind latched on to the warmer memories of his youth he couldn’t shake the sensation of being taken into someone else’s mind.

“Shh,” Allura brought him close, allowing him to sink his forehead against her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have gone through that.”

The last of his strength left him as Shiro broke down into Allura’s hold, squeezing the fabric of her dress between fists as he wept. The episode didn’t last long, thankfully. He pulled away, drawing his prosthetic hand over his face to wipe tears, snot, and spit from his skin. This was embarrassing.

“What…what was that?” He asked after a moment. Allura smiled at him, her hand still caressing his back and shoulder.

“That was a lullaby,” Allura said. At his curious expression, Allura settled herself more comfortably beside him. “I’ve told you how the Altean race was one a proud race of diplomats and peacekeepers. My mother was one of our planet’s most talented ambassador. She had solved disputes across star systems long before I was born. Her ability to regain certain parts of her favorite cultures was one of the greatest things about her. The Lullaby belonged to a race known as the Xulmani. They didn’t use a spoken language like you or I do. Rather they connected their thoughts and emotions through song and music. She learned their Lullaby, it as a gift from them, and she sang it and taught it to me as a child.”

Shiro watched as her lips parted in a rueful smile.

“Sadly, it’s all I truly have of her aside from this.” She placed a few fingers against her tiara. The blue stone at its center gave a twinkle and a noise that faded before Shiro could give it a name.

“What were you doing here?” she asked after a small moment of silence. Shiro ducked his chin with a sigh.

“I…uh…I was getting ready for bed when I heard you. I didn’t know what it was so I went to investigate. One could never be too careful, especially after the last time we let our guard down. I just…wanted to make sure you were safe.”

Allura nodded, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were flushed pink and Shiro noted that with some curiosity.

“Thank you,” she said. “But as you can see, everything is all right.”

“Yes,” Shiro agreed. “I can see that now.”

She smiled at him before pulling her hands away to play with the fabric of her nightgown. “I must admit…no one’s ever heard me sing before. Not even Coran. Did I…sound bad?”

Shiro’s eyes widened and he reached over to grab her hand before he could help himself. She looked up at him with surprise and he looked into her eyes earnestly.

“No,” he said. “Just the opposite. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Allura’s cheeks flushed dark, her pink marks glowing bright. “I…do…really?”

Shiro nodded, “Really. I would never lie to you, Allura. I’ve never felt so much before, and I’m not talking about the emotional rush at the end. I mean…when I first saw you, saw what you were creating with just your voice…”

He trailed off, unsure what to say. Allura didn’t blink away, leaning a little closer. “Yes…?”

“I thought you were some kind of heavenly being.”

Allura just stared at him, her marks glowing so bright it made Shiro blink. She looked away, shoulders pinching as she retreated and Shiro realized then that he must have made her uncomfortable. Cheeks burning, he removed his hold from her hands and looked elsewhere.

Sure enough the stars and galaxies had disappeared, leaving them in the dark and the blue light from the crystal above.

“No one has ever called me that before,” Allura said after a tense moment. He glanced back at her and met her gaze through the light and shadows. Her marks were still glowing but not as brightly. It made her eyes look inviting.

“I mean it,” Shiro said, not knowing when or why they had begun murmuring. “You were…are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

He couldn’t look away even after he felt her hand settled into his. His heart was ramming in his chest now, revitalized the more he stared into her eyes.

Her eyes flicked down to his mouth and Shiro didn’t notice he was leaning in until he saw her eyes blink slowly and fall half-lidded.

“Shiro…” she breathed his name and the sound brushed his lips just as he breathed hers.

“Allura…”

Her other hand brushed against his chest, cradling his neck. Instead of feeling her lips on his, he felt her forehead touch his.

A surge of emotion filled him again, but this time it didn’t shake him and leave him feeling torn in half. It filled his body like a warmth and a sigh that soothed and relaxed.

He didn’t expect that, and felt somewhat confused when she pulled away. He blinked his eyes open to see Allura smiling at him despite her eyes being closed. Shiro glanced at her forehead and saw the stone in her tiara glowing brightly.

Her hair and clothes had begun to float around her much like his pants and shirt rose from his skin. She was still holding him as he watched a series of stars and galaxies pour from the stone to encompass him.

He felt as though he were being embraced and he was abruptly reminded of the loving hug of his own mother, pulling him into her arms and easing him against her chest. A hum and a note teased his memory and he remembered then a lullaby of his own.

“Beautiful,” Allura sighed, her hands lifting to settle gently against his neck and jaw.

Shiro shuddered as he remembered that soft song. And it suddenly felt like he could hear it being sung all around him.

“Takashi…” Allura said and Shiro gasped. She looked at him and sank her head to press her forehead to his.

“Your mother was a beautiful woman,” she said.

“How are you doing this?” Shiro breathed, listening to the takeda lullaby as though he were actually there.

“Let me do this for you,” Allura said. “It’s the very least I could do.”

The surge of emotion left him tired and woozy and he felt himself slowly falling into a state of sleep. His head landed on something soft and Shiro’s eyes closed.

He fell into a blissful dream, remembering a youth playing in a garden and smiling with a gap in his teeth as his mother watched him from the kitchen.

_“One day you’re going to fly higher than all of us,”_ her voice covered him in a gentle touch. _“And when I look up, I’ll point to my favorite star and know you’re up there watching over us.”_

_Mother…_

* * *

 

When Shiro woke, he was in his bed and the lights around his room were bright, signifying the start of a new day.

“Alright Paladins, time to wake up!” Coran’s voice burst through the speakers overhead. “I’ve got a big breakfast all lined up for you guys before you take on your next session of drills! Let’s get moving before it all gets cold and inedible!”

Shiro rose, body feeling lighter than it ever felt. He pulled on his suit and armor, and when he was ready he stared at his prosthetic hand with awe. The connection to the Galra tech didn’t ache and press on him as it once did.

His footsteps carried him to the dining room where his team was already shoving goo in their mouths and conversing loudly. Coran stood overhead, making one loud gesture over another as Lance flicked a piece of goo at him.

“Did you sleep well?”

Shiro gave a start, turning to see Allura standing behind him, dressed in her suit and her hair pulled into a familiar top knot. His heart squeezed and his stomach exploded into butterflies.

“Y-yes… I did.” He looked away clearing his throat nervously. When he glanced back at her she was smiling at him warmly.

“I’m glad,” she said, her marks aglow. “Thank you.”

Shiro tilted his head, “for what?”

She reached up easily, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek before anyone noticed. When she pulled away Shiro’s mind had gone blank. Even like this, he knew, she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld.

“For the lullaby.”

* * *

  
End


End file.
